Olivia Ong Evans’ Kota Hujan (City of Rain)

Friday, December 5, 7 pm

Free or suggested donation

Squeaky Wheel is excited to present a behind the scenes look in Olivia Ong Evans’ upcoming film Kota Hujan (City of Rain).

Kota Hujan (City of Rain) is a collection of nostalgic memories and playful tales that trace the shifting meanings of home through time and across diasporas. The film features my mother’s narration of stories from her childhood in Bogor, Indonesia during the 1960s and ’70s. These recollections are interwoven with scenes of the city and its landscapes from our return visit to her hometown in 2024. The soundtrack for the film features recordings from a live performance by the Nusantara Arts Javanese Gamelan group in Buffalo, NY.

The artist will present on the process of making the in-progress film, including traveling to Bogor in 2024, editing the footage filmed at that time, subtitling and translation, as well as the challenges and insights that have come up through the process. The talk will feature selected footage of the work in progress to show how the film is taking shape.

This is the first of two events celebrating Evans’ work; on Saturday, December 20, CAO Collective (Chinese Artists & Organizers Collective) will lead a virtual writing workshop offering participants the chance to dive deeper into the film’s themes through their own reflections and connections. This project is supported by a Support for Artists grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Attendees: Please note that you cannot enter Tri-Main Center after 7:30 pm. Squeaky Wheel is located in Suite 310 of Tri-Main Center. Take the elevator to the third floor, and head left.  Click here to see parking, transportation, and accessibility information.

Biography of the artist

Olivia Ong Evans is an artist based in Buffalo, NY. Her work often explores themes of diasporic identity and connection to nature. She was a 2021 Workspace Resident at Squeaky Wheel, where she worked on the video art project Identity Karma.

Banner image: A still from Olivia Ong Evans’ film Kota Hujan (City of Rain). A still of Bogor, Indonesia at dusk or dawn, with a pink and orange sky. Shorter buildings with flat roofs are on the bottom, and skyscrapers and mountains are visible in the distance. A bird is flying through the flame.